MEDIA RELEASE - Danzig residents first to benefit as Toronto Community Housing launches repair blitz program

Summary:

TORONTO, November 26, 2012 – Toronto Community Housing kicked off the State of Good Repair: in your unit program today in the Morningside Coronation community on Danzig Street.

November 26, 2012

TORONTO, November 26, 2012 - Toronto Community Housing kicked off the State of Good Repair: in your unit program today in the Morningside Coronation community on Danzig Street.

Toronto Community Housing President and CEO Gene Jones, City Councillor Ron Moeser, City Councillor Paul Ainslie and Toronto Community Housing Board Chair Bud Purves joined residents and close to 50 Toronto Community Housing staff volunteers from CUPE Local 416 to complete hundreds of repairs to 95 units in one day.

Local 27 carpenters replace a door on Danzig street

With the State of Good Repair: in your unit program, crews complete a high volume of repairs in one development before moving on to the next. This type of approach has been proven effective in jurisdictions facing similar challenges to Toronto, such as New York City. This program will invest $11.5 million from the State of Good Repair Fund for in-unit and common area repairs in up to 16,000 units in 80 high-need communities over the next two years.

Toronto Community Housing faces a $751 million capital repair backlog. Innovative approaches such as the State of Good Repair: in your unit program allocate resources effectively to maximise benefits for residents by, for example, reducing costs by buying in bulk and bundling work.

Morningside Coronation, the Toronto Community Housing development located on Danzig Street, was chosen as the pilot for the State of Good Repair: in your unit program because of the volume and types of repairs required, the high level of community engagement, and the physical size and layout of the community.

In 2013, Toronto Community Housing will implement the lessons learned during the Morningside Coronation pilot when the State of Good Repair: in your unit program is brought to additional communities across the city.

QUOTES

"Everyone deserves to live in a place they can be proud to call home, which is why it is so important that we stretch the dollars we do have as efficiently as possible. Toronto Community Housing's capital repair backlog has reached $751 million, and that amount grows every year. It's a huge challenge, and we are committed to working with our residents, with the City of Toronto, and with existing and new partners to make all our communities great places to live.

"The residents of Morningside Coronation here on Danzig Street have been a tremendous help in making sure this pilot program is a success. I'm looking forward to taking the lessons learned here to other communities as we roll out the State of Good Repair: in your unit program across the city.

"Toronto Community Housing staff are passionate about making a difference for our 164,000 residents, and that dedication was on clear display today as dozens of staff volunteered their time to roll up their sleeves and blitz through hundreds of repairs here at Morningside Coronation."

--Gene Jones, President and CEO, Toronto Community Housing

CUPE 416 volunteers replace an outdoor light on Danzig Street

KEY FACTS

The State of Good Repair: in your unit program will invest $11.5 million from the State of Good Repair Fund into repairs in up to 60,000 units in up to 80 high need buildings over two years.

Examples of the work that will be addressed as part of the State of Good Repair: in your unit program include:
o Wall repairs and paint touch-ups
o Faucet and related plumbing leaks
o Light fixtures, switches and electrical receptacles
o Bathtubs, counters, toilets, sinks, tiles and caulking
o Doors, locks, weather-stripping, mailboxes and doorbells
o Window screens, broken or damaged glass
o Ducts and vent covers

About Morningside Coronation
Morningside Coronation is a Toronto Community Housing community located on Danzig Street in Scarborough. The community is composed of 101 three and four-bedroom townhouses built in 1969.

About Toronto Community Housing
Toronto Community Housing (www.torontohousing.ca) is Canada's largest social housing provider and home to more than 164,000 tenants with low and moderate incomes-about six per cent of Toronto's population. Toronto Community Housing and its subsidiaries employ 1,300 staff in a broad range of jobs, who deliver its mission to provide affordable housing, connect tenants to services and opportunities, and work together to build healthy communities.